Thorn In My Heart
by His Black Rider
Summary: She was the dawn;a lady of the light-compassion,courage & innocence shining within her as bright & as warm as the sun. He was the night;a master of the darkness- chiseled by strength & power alone, he doesn't think twice about his orders to capture the woman to use for the Akatsuki's selfish purposes...& his own once he decides to claim everything she is for himself.
1. Prologue

Prologue:

Glancing around at all the faces in the room that sat watching him, waiting for their next orders, a man with fiery orange hair and piercings all over his face, finally opened his mouth and spoke up. Beside him stood a pretty, blue-haired woman with a single lip piercing.

"We have our next objective." He announced stoically.

A man with long blonde hair that had been pulled back and blue eyes, arched an eyebrow up at his leader, "And what exactly are we talking about here, un?" he inquired curiously as his arms came up and crossed themselves over his chest.

"It's not a 'what'," the Leader replied, "…it's a who."

"Let me guess…." Added in a man with blue skin and hair who sat to the blonde man's left, "….we need to take this person out?" he guessed, his gold eyes shining bright with unsaid excitement at the thought of a fresh killing.

"No…" their Leader replied, "…its' quite the opposite actually."

"Ah, fuck…" swore a man with white hair and red-pink eyes, "…is this going to require a lot of work? Cause if that's the case; I'm not getting in on that kind of shit right now. I just got back from one of Kakuzu's fucking bounty pick-ups and I'm exhausted."

The man called Kakuzu turned his masked head to stare over at his partner with his seemingly glowing green eyes, "You hardly did anything at all, Hidan." He pointed out with a swift roll of his eyes.

Hidan's eye twitched in rage, "The hell?" he exclaimed. "You mother f…."

"That's enough." Said their Leader as he quickly intervened the two men before any more could be exchanged between the two of them. " You're losing focus on why I even had all of you summoned here today."

"But Leader-Sama!" came a surprisingly high pitched voice of a man wearing an orange mask that covered his whole face; he sat off to the blonde man's right, "….Tobi doesn't even know why he is here."

"Shut it, Tobi!" came his blonde friend. Tobi shrunk back in his seat, "De…Deidara-Sempai…why do you yell at Tobi?" he asked in a soft, squeaky voice, "Tobi is a good boy."

"So what's our objective, Leader-Sama?" Came the blue-skinned man as he disregarded his other companions.

"Our objective, Kisame…" their Leader replied, "….is a woman."

At once, things fell silent amongst their group; all members falling completely still at the information. After a few seconds, Hidan broke the silence,

"You fucking serious?" he asked in disbelief, "….that's what this is all about? A bitch? Don't you already got one of those?"

Their Leader's eyes narrowed at Hidan in a silent warning from his last comment, "Careful what you say, around me."

"Uh, why we after a girl, un?" Deidara asked, "…she's not a tailed beast, is she?" he asked curiously.

"No." their Leader replied, "….but she can be a valuable asset to our organization."

"Skilled?" Kisame guessed; she had to be if their leader Pein was interested in her.

"Very." Pein answered, "….rumor has it that she can wield some of the elements to her will. On top of that, she's an accomplished medic."

"So… what?" Deidara asked, "….you want us to pick her up or something?"

"Well I can tell you now that this one won't come willingly to our forces." Pein stated knowingly.

A few of the members, mainly Kisame and Hidan snickered at this, "Well I'm sure we can persuade her otherwise." Kisame stated with a sharp looking grin.

Pein only nodded his head before he turned his attention onto one last member that sat on Kisame's right, "Have you nothing to say on this matter, Itachi?" he asked.

The man whom he had been addressing sat on the edge of their group; his face hidden mainly by the black and red robe he wore that matched everyone else's in their organization; his dark ebony hair was pulled back into a long ponytail, his eyes were closed shut. At the sound of his name however, his eyes slowly swept open; they were a startling color of blood red; a sure sign that his Sharingan was activated.

Meeting his Leader's gaze, Itachi blinked once at the question before answering, "….When do we leave?"


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Kira Hara paused on the rugged stone walk, gathering her cloak tightly around her. Swirling vapors blanketed the winter-browned land, filling the low hollows and rills, curling restlessly about the trees to spread ever onward in an eerie sea of fog. With a quick sigh, she reached down and collected the basket of medical supplies that was resting at her feet before she straightened, smiled and turned to the man beside her.

"The mists are quite heavy this morning." she stated before she started forward, "Come, Michio." She added, sparing the man, who was in a standstill, a friendly glance, "Lead on."

Wordlessly, the young, scruffily clad man scrambled up to walk alongside the young woman and together, they hurried into the enshrouding whiteness. Grasping his long, gnarled walking stick, Michio plowed through the dense mists as if he saw directly through them, his steps sure and bold from years of traveling the beloved terrain.

Kira was not quite as certain and kept close company, her basket of herb powders, potions, and salves clutched tightly at her side. As she walked, her thoughts raced ahead, planning the childbirth preparations. It was Hirumi's first, and Michio's young wife was frightened half to death. Only the promise that Kira would attend her had calmed the girl's fears.

Though barely twenty, Kira was already renowned for her skills in the healing arts. Both noble and poor alike called for her in their hour of need and, unstintingly, she gave to one and all.

"I'm grateful, ma'am." Michio suddenly spoke out while slowing his steps to hers, "…I know how busy you are and I know our house is kind of out of the way…" he stated pausing for a quick second before his eyes closed, "…If it wasn't my Hirumi's time, I'd have never asked."

The young woman smiled warmly, "Think nothing of it, my friend." She replied, "…I shall always lend a hand to any who ask for help." with this said, her pace quickened, "Now, time is short; Hirumi needs us."

"Aye, ma'am." Her sturdy companion agreed with a sure nod of his head. However, his eyes proclaimed things a bit differently. Kira could read his uneasiness as clear as daylight. She couldn't blame the man of course; new fathers are kind of known to be on the antsy side. Reaching a hand out, she laid it gently on his arm. Surprised by her touch, the man glanced down on her with wide, brown eyes,

"There's nothing to fear, Michio." She assured.

He swallowed, "Aye, ma'am…" he murmured, his trusting voice soft, like a whisper, "…as you say; there's nothing to fear." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"That's it. That's my girl." Kira praised, gripping Hirumi's hand in hers. "You're a strong, strong woman and will soon have your sweet babe. Are the pains still strong? Then take a breath and push again."

The young woman called Hirumi glanced up, a weak, trusting smile lighting her face; she was a tiny woman, her form more than a few inches shorter than Kira though she was five years her senior.

"Yes…a sweet babe…" she whispered. Then, tensing, she bore down with all her might. The contractions soon passed and she fell back, exhausted. Her face was damp with perspiration.

Giving Hirumi's hand a brief, encouraging squeeze, Kira reached over to the small table next to the bed that she had Michio set up to hold some of her provisions and prepared an herbal concoction. With practiced hands she measured out a simple powder remedy and added hot water.

Kira then lifted the cup and brought it to the girl's lips. "Drink this, deary. The raspberry leaf tea will hasten your birthing." Her brew was immediately sipped before Hirumi fell into a deep slumber.

It wouldn't be long before the next pains came, Kira knew, but until then rest was the best thing for a laboring mother. Sitting back on her knees, Kira looked about her.

It was long past darkness, the day having come and gone. She hunched her shoulders in an effort to ease the ache of hours spent crouched beside Hirumi, then tucked an errant stray of burgundy-colored hair behind her ear. Of course her hair would be falling out of its holdings; one can only keep it pinned back for so long.

Reaching both hands up behind her head, Kira gently tightened the knot of the white-cotton bandana that she was wearing before naturally feeling her long, braided hair that she had coiled and secured right at the base of her neck. It was falling loose too, but hair problems at the moment were not going to be her concern. She had only one mission; and that was dear, frightened, trusting Hirumi and the new life she was trying to bring into the world.

Hirumi stirred, a sleepy grimace twisting her face.

"The pains…" Kira thought knowingly, "…they come again."

A sudden, damp blast of air swirled through the small house. Glancing up and behind her, she saw Hirumi's husband, Michio walk in; his arms laden with squares of dry peat to stoke the hearth fire. At that instant Hirumi moaned, her pale blue eyes snapping open in sudden anguish.

"Blessed Saints! I…I…the babe!"

With the declaration came the crashing sound from Michio as he dropped what he had in his arms to the floor.

Kira swiftly scooted down to check her, then looked up at Michio who had by now hurried on over to the bedside. Meeting his wide gaze, she nodded her head, "It's time." She confirmed calmly, "Come, help me." She then motioned towards Hirumi's head, "Hold her, talk to her while I guide the baby through." Michio didn't have to be told twice.

The minuets passed as they worked, Michio encouraging his wife while Kira attended to the slowly emerging infant. Her heart leaped to her throat when the head finally appeared followed by a knot forming in her stomach when she saw the cord tight around the baby's neck. Keeping her face expressionless, so that she didn't stir panic within the two awaiting parents, Kira held her silence.

"It is absolutely vital for the babe to be free of that choking noose as quickly as possible." She sternly reminded herself.

But there was very little she could do to hasten the emergence of the shoulders, which suddenly seemed too large for the passage. Sweat beaded her brow as Kira struggled with the difficult birth, praying to God as she continued to encourage the straining mother. At last the shoulders slipped free. The baby was born.

A tiny girl child now laid in her arms, unmoving, her body blue and lifeless. Reaching down the front of her shirt, Kira pulled forth a small dagger that she always carries between her breasts and swiftly but carefully cut away the cord before she rubbed the infant dry. The babe still remained silent.

In an instant slowed in time, Kira harked back to the day when Hirumi had first revealed her pregnancy, of the look of joy and anticipation of the young woman's face, of her eager plans. Hirumi and Michio had so little with them living off of his sailor-salary. But they were rich in generosity and love. Of that, they had an abundance, for each other and for their babe; they were looking to her now, she was all they had.

And so Kira would _not_ fail them! Looking down at the little, limp form that she held, her sharp, lavender gaze scanned the tiny, perfectly shaped girl. "Dear God…" she silently implored, "…Let me give this child life!"

Kira lifted the little girl up and lowered her head down, settling her mouth over that of the baby. Gently at first, then more confidently when she saw the tiny chest rise with each breath, she blew small puffs of air into the infant. At first, nothing happened, the only sound of her own panting breaths mingling with the ragged rasps of the two parents. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, the babe gasped, then choked, uttering a strangled cry.

The sound weak at first, grew in strength until it filled the small house. And with each shuddering, indignant little breath, the joy, the immune satisfaction, grew within Kira. She then lifted her purple gaze to Hirumi and Michio and smiled brightly.

"It's a girl." She informed breathlessly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was nothing more heartwarming to Kira then seeing the adoring looks on a young couple's face when they finally get to hold their newborn child safely in their arms. Kira quickly had the tiny girl bathed and snuggly wrapped up in a fresh blanket before she had the privilege of placing the babe in her parents' awaiting care.

When she received her daughter at last, Hirumi was stifling back sobs of joy as she gazed loving down on the new life she and her husband had created together. Even Michio's brown eyes were misting over with unshed tears as he reached a timid hand out and stroked his child's head for the first time.

"She's…" he murmured out loud quietly before swallowing his deep emotions, "…she's so tiny…"

Hirumi smiled, "She's perfect." Turning her head to gaze into the face of her husband, Hirumi leaned to the side and rested her head against his chest, "…thank you for making me a mommy." She added.

Michio instantly wrapped his arms around his wife frame, being careful not to hold her too tight for both her sake and the baby's. He then leaned down and placed a tender kiss on top of her head, "Thank you for making me a daddy."

Watching the scene before her, Kira couldn't help but smile too. All was well. Her job was done. Silently, not wanting to disturb the precious moment between the young family, Kira swiftly gathered up her things and collected her cloak. As she started towards the doorway, she stopped briefly in her tracks when she heard her name get called.

"Kira?" Hirumi called after her. Naturally, she glanced back over at the couple. "….thank you." Hirumi continued, "…thank you, so very, very much."

The burgundy-haired woman smiled warmly, "I only wish I could more." She replied. "I left some of my special herb tea for you on the table." She informed before she glanced over at Michio, "…make sure she has a cup at least once a day for a week. It'll help speed up her recovery."

Michio grinned happily, "Aye ma'am. I'll see that she does." He promised.

Kira nodded her head with approval. So that was that, now she could go home.

Upon stepping out of the couple's house, Kira drew the hood of her cloak up and over her head before she set off down the rugged stone road at a swift but easy pace. The sky was ebony black, the air crisp and cool. Casting her eyes up towards the heavens, Kira momentarily watched the twinkling stars, using their light to guide her way down the path. After a couple of minutes, the road veered off the left, taking Kira into the woods. The trees lining the trail stood tall and still. Only the sound of the wind lightly rustling their leaves broke the silence that was following Kira.

As she continued on her way, every now and then glancing out of the corner of her eye to observe her surroundings, a thick ghostly mist floated out from up ahead. At first, it had slowly swirled about her feet, but the further she walked on, the larger it grew till she and the whole pathway she was on was engulfed in its whiteness. With the fog all around, it was harder for Kira to see things clearly. Even the trees seemed out of shape now, looking like nothing more than towering shadowy figures.

Shaking her head softly, refusing to be swayed by the inconvenient mist, Kira pushed her way through with a fierce determination in her step. She was tired, stiff, and just wanted to get home so that she could crawl into bed and get some rest before the sun came up and she was once again working.

Suddenly, randomly, a chill ran down her spine; the sensation traveling all the way down to the soles of her sandaled feet. At once Kira slowed and stopped in her tracks. Something was off. She felt like she was being watched, and intensely too; another warning tingle that left her body shivering softly beneath her cape only added to her growing awareness.

Her eyes narrowed fearlessly behind her hood before she raised a hand up from her side. With the palm up, she focused some of her chakra into her hand and instantly, unbelievably, a flaming fire sprouted from its center. Both its heat and light helped clear away some of the surrounding fog, giving her a better view of the area around her. Then cautiously she made a slow circle, her eyes scanning the trees for any presence of life besides her own. But there was nothing to be seen. Nothing but trees.

"Hmm…" she thought to herself quietly, "…I could've sworn that I felt someo…"

Her thought was immediately cut short as her eyes landed on something standing in between two thick trees angled off to the right. At first, she didn't know what she was looking at since all she could really make out was its silhouette. But as she squinted her eyes, forcing her vision to get a better picture, her eyes widened at what she saw.

Tall and cloaked, with a wide-brimmed hat with a veil around it covering the head, there was no doubt in her mind that this figure was a person; and from what she could deduce from its size, it was safe to say that this figure was male too. As Kira stared the figure down, beneath her gaze, _he_ moved as well. It was a very slight move, a simple lift of the head, but it was enough to bring forth a gasp from Kira's mouth and cause her to drop her basket.

A pair of blood red eyes practically glowed from beneath the rim of the hat. And they were staring right back into her lavender ones. Though she couldn't feel it before, the same moment they made eye contact, his chakra presence hit her just then like a fist to the face. Kira lost her focus underneath such intensity, the fire in her hand extinguished in a heartbeat and instinctively, she stumbled back a few paces before she felt herself run into something from behind. A tiny cry of alarm escaped past her lips while her head snapped around to face her supposed opponent.

But it was only a tree. Whipping her head back around front, she half expected the figure to still be there. Only, he wasn't. Eyes darting, heart racing, breath short and swift, Kira searched for the red-eyed silhouette hiding somewhere in the trees. But all traces of him were completely gone; she couldn't even sense his chakra presence anymore. Nor did she feel like she was under surveillance.

Forcing herself to calm down, she took deep breaths in through her nose, and exhaled out through her mouth. When at last her heart rate was normal, she leaned back against the tree and closed her eyes. Perhaps she had only hallucinated the figure. It was not uncommon to have delusions when walking through the mist.

But…

Kira's eyes fluttered open.

She had sensed the figure's presence hadn't she? As she recalled what it had felt like, a shudder ran though her body.

The presence was strong, powerful….dangerous. She couldn't deny the fact that when she locked eyes with those two, glowing red orbs, she had felt terror stir from deep inside. That figure, whoever or whatever he was, was frightening. Whether he was real or not, Kira could not say for sure. But there was one thing she was certain about. She did not want to wait around and find out.

Before she could give it another thought, Kira pushed off from the tree, and fled the scene; not even daring once to glance behind. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two pairs of eyes watched the young woman leave.

A low chuckle gently broke the silence, "Well that was easy enough." Came the voice of Kisame as his eyes followed after the girl's cloaked form as it faded into the mist. "You would think she would've been a bit harder to find." He added thoughtfully before he turned and glanced down on his companion.

"So?" he inquired, "….are we gonna take her now, Itachi-San?" he asked curiously with a sharp toothed grin.

The younger man remained silent for a few seconds, "…..No." he replied; his voice incredibly low but smooth like velvet. His own eyes, red from his activated Sharingan, stared off after the girl. "..Not yet."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Once Kira got home, she found herself completely out of breath. The run had taken much more out of her then she had anticipated. But at least she made it back without any trouble.

Upon entering her quaint abode, she swiftly locked things up for the night; from doors to windows, everything was bolted shut. Then after that task was done, Kira huffed a sigh, discarded her cloak on the couch and went into her tiny kitchen to make a nice, hot, calming cup of tea for she was still restless from what had happened back in the woods; whatever that even was, it had left her uneasy.

So, with the steaming cup in hand, Kira then retreated to the comfort of her bedroom where she then took a seat in a rocking chair by a window; next to the chair was a small table and on that rested a book.

Bringing the cup to her lips, she took a couple sips of the hot, sweet liquid before putting her cup down on the table so that she could pick the book up. After finding where she had placed her bookmark, she contently picked up her reading. Kira was able to read for about an hour or so before the tea's effects settled on her; eventually she had to put her book back down because the tea had made her so drowsy that she could no longer read.

Draining the rest of the tea from the cup, Kira then leisurely got up from her seat with the empty cup in hand and left her bedroom, heading once more for the kitchen. When she passed through the living room, she paused in her trek, deciding to get a fire going in the fireplace. Summoning some chakra into her right hand, she manipulated it till a strong, flaring fire sat in her palm. Using the flame to light some wood that had been placed inside fireplace's opening, Kira had a nice, warming fire within two minutes.

Sighing with satisfaction, the young woman gracefully rose up from her kneeling position on the ground and continued on over to the kitchen to drop off her tea cup in the sink. Once the cup had been rinsed and dried, she placed it back in the cupboards and traced her steps back to her room where she would then settle down for the night.

Closing the door behind her, Kira headed to her closet and pulled out her nightwear which consisted of a long silky, formfitting nightgown of emerald green which she then carried back to her bed. After laying it down across the comforter, she then proceeded on to stripping off her day clothes before she slipped the nightgown over her head and pulled it down over her body.

Admiring the smooth, cool silk caressing her skin, Kira smiled to herself before she reached out and pulled the covers back on her bed so that she could climb on in. Right as she was about to slide beneath the sheets, Kira felt a familiar warning sensation trickle down her spine. It was like earlier, back in the woods when she saw something within the mist. And she was absolutely baffled.

Why on earth was she feeling so? There couldn't possibly be any one else around…  
>Could there?<p>

Shivering, but not from the cold, Kira drew her full, lower lip into her mouth and lightly bit down on it with her teeth as she focused her attention on the possible forewarning of danger that her body was portraying. Deciding that it was better to be safe than sorry, Kira turned to face the convenient nightstand beside her, pulled open the single drawer it had and brought forth a single, freshly sharpened kunai blade.

The metal weapon felt foreign in her hand and Kira couldn't help the small frown of distaste that started pulling down on her mouth. To be frank, she wasn't one with using weapons when it came to fighting; weapons like Kunai or even Shuriken only cause a great bloody mess, literally.

"Besides…" Kira thought to herself as she turned back towards the bed and carefully tucked the blade under her pillow for safe keeping, "…I am healer; not a fighter."

Of course even with that fact, she still had quite a bit of knowledge when it came to fighting. She just never really had to use it.

"And hopefully…." She added in a quiet whisper as she gracefully climbed into bed and pulled the sheets up to her hips before she laid her head back across the pillow, "…it'll stay that way."

But one could only hope…..  
>…..right?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

"Are we gonna hang around here all night, Itachi-san?" an impatient Kisame asked from his standing position beside his partner. When Itachi supplied him no answer, the towering blue man swore under his breath while he shifted in his stance anxiously before he turned his attention back onto the small house they had been watching from a safe distance.

It's been a few hours since they had followed the girl home. Now it was well past midnight and though the girl's life presence had long since been calm without any sort of disturbance coming from within her house, they've yet to make a single move against her. And the wait was just killing Kisame.

Glancing out of his peripherals, Kisame eyed the shorter man standing next to him looking as still and impassable as always.

"Just what are we waiting for, Itachi-san?" he asked in a more laidback tone; without waiting for a response, the shark man continued, "The night is clear, the girl's sleeping soundly in bed…." he paused for a quick second to grin himself, "….it's the perfect time to drop on by and _introduce_ ourselves to the young lady, don't you think?"

Wordlessly, the Uchiha glanced up from underneath his wide-brimmed hat; his red eyes alight with his activated Sharingan. After a moment's silence, the young man took a single step forward,

"Lead the way then, Kisame…." He answered in his deep, velvety voice.

Kisame's grin widened to reveal his sharpened teeth while he stepped up and took the leading stride that would take them straight towards the house. "Alright." He answered, not caring that his voice dripped with great enthusiasm for the long awaited order. At last, it was time for some fun.

As they silently drew nearer to the house, Kisame briefly glanced over at his stoic partner, "So…" he began, "…how should we do this?" he asked curiously. "Can I take down a wall?" he asked; liking the idea of barging on into the house with his long sword raised high, ready to cause quite a bit of mayhem for their prize that was just within grasp now.

Though Kisame couldn't see it personally, he felt Itachi's gaze flicker over onto him at his own question; the tall, blue man didn't need words to understand what the intensity of the Uchiha's gaze meant.

"It was just a suggestion…." He grumbled as his brows furrowed with soft disappointment. Leave it to Itachi to kill his fun. The younger man preferred the more _quieter _approaches when it came to pick-up tasks such as this.

"Geeze…." Kisame quietly thought to himself, "…if Itachi-san wants a more subtle approach, might as well just go and knock on the front door."

He was, of course, being sarcastic for even he knew that though Itachi wasn't one for making a loud and chaotic entry like himself, his partner had his own way of making that first, memorable entrance. The question now was what did he have in mind for this particular mission?

Whatever it was, Kisame was sure that Itachi already had things planned out in precise detail; it was bound to give him some entertainment for the night. The girl's reaction would most likely be priceless.  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

There it was….for the third time tonight; that spine tingling sensation that briefly caused Kira to shudder beneath her bed sheets. Behind her closed eyes, in the blackness that was her current state of mind, Kira saw the haunting pair of blood red eyes watching her. The image had been like engraved in her memory, and now it was like she was reliving that time back in the woods when she had first spotted them.

Coming out of her sleep, while keeping her image at complete ease, Kira's hand which had unconsciously slid beneath her pillow sometime during the night, an innocent act for one when a asleep, firmly grasped the handle of the kunai blade that she had placed there earlier. The cool metal brought forth a slight feeling of relief and strength knowing that she wasn't completely vulnerable.

However, that feeling changed instantly when she suddenly grew aware of some unseen presence that had now entered her room. Reading it carefully, she was able to distinguish the chakra level as belonging to someone strong but it was not the same one she had felt; the one belonging to the red eyes. So what could this mean?

More importantly….who was now inside her bedroom?

Whoever it was, they didn't even bother hiding their chakra presence; and knowing that, Kira couldn't decide if that was a good thing or bad for it could go both ways; either this person was incredibly foolish….or two, he didn't think he had to hide it because no matter what, he knew that he was going to come out on top.

Naturally, she hoped it was first option.

Keeping herself still, almost lifeless as she continued on with playing the part of being in a deep slumber, Kira listened intently as she heard the soft, barely detectable sound of footsteps crossing the room, coming towards her bed. Thanks to all her medical training, if it wasn't for the fact that Kira knew how to keep her heart rate at a steady, slow rhythm while controlling her chakra level so that it masked her absolute awareness, she was sure that her act would've failed to whoever was approaching.

She silently thanked the heavens when it became clear that the intruder had bought it. Now all that was left to do was decide what to do next. Should she make the first move, or wait for the intruder? Either way, she was already at the disadvantage since she was stuck lying on her side in bed while the figure stood standing next to her form. So….what could she possibly loose?

But perhaps, she had waited too late for in thinking the idea over, a large and warm hand came down and took hold of her by her neck. Forgetting all about keeping a low image, Kira's eyes snapped open and instinctively, she whipped the hidden kunai out from under her pillow as the figure effortlessly lifted her form out of bed by the neck; bringing the blade down at a slant, the weapon cut a sure, and decent sized gashed on the intruder's wrist.

At once, the figure relinquished his hold on her and briefly howled in pain; a rather colorful swear word leaving his mouth as he shook out the stinging pain from his hand.

"Fuck!" he swore; the word was no more than a distinctive hiss between clenched teeth. Clearly, he was not expecting such an attack.

Free from the grasp, Kira kicked her legs from the now tangled sheets and rolled to the opposite side of the bed so that she could use it as a barrier before she climbed on out and took up a defensive stance, ready to face the intruder. The room was dark, so it was hard to make out all of the figure's details, but what she could see what that this person was tall, well built, and undeniably male.

Unafraid, she called out to the man in a firm, bold voice, "….I don't know who you are…or even how you got in here…" she stated slowly as her lavender eyes narrowed in warning, "….but get out…of my house."

"Well…." The man replied, "…aren't you hospitable." He replied; his sarcasm was evident.

"Sir…" Kira answered as a growing anger for this person before her started settling over her form, "…I will not ask you again." To prove her waning patience, she made a move to show him the kunai that she was holding tightly in her hand; its blade showing the promise of more damage should he fail to comply.

Though she couldn't really see it in the darkness, the man flashed her a sharp grin and chuckled, "…Oh I think…." He answered with certainty as he reached up to his shoulder to grasp a weapon of his own, "….that you'll need much more than that tiny blade to hold me off."

Grasping the hilt of his sword, Kisame swung it down from its holdings across his back before he skillfully cut the blade through the air, taking a clean swipe at the young woman standing across the bed.

With the bed in between them, there stood a good four feet or so; at the sight of the sword coming at her, Kira swiftly jumped back another couple feet, till her back smacked into the wall behind. With the extra distance, she was able to avoid the stroke of the intruder's sword; barely at least for she felt the draft from his powerful swing hit her form just seconds after he missed.

It was then that Kira saw just what she was up against. Eyeing the weapon from her spot, Kira's lips parted slightly in shock, her mouth forming a tiny 'O'.

"His sword must be at least six feet!" she noted to herself as she watched the man lift the blade back up to rest it across the front of his body. Was it even possible for one to wield a sword that large? The blade was almost the length of the man himself.

Kisame, sensing her surprise, snickered in response. "Samehada's a beauty, no?" he asked proudly.

Kira arched a smooth eyebrow up in response at such a ridiculous question before disregarding the comment completely to ask her own. "You've yet to inform me of who you and your purpose here." She reminded in an irritated tone.

"Oh right." The man replied as if the whole thing had been a simple slip of the mind, "I am Kisame Hoshigaki." He answered before taking a rather large step forward, "…and my purpose for being here…." He continued on, "….is you."

Kira frowned in confusion. "What did he mean by that?" she thought to herself.

Before she could personally ask him the question herself, the man called Kisame lunged forward.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 4:

Kira had only a blinking-second to react when Kisame charged. For a man of his size, it was not surprising that he was able to cleanly clear the jump from one side of the bed to the other as easily as breathing; and what only added to the complications was his speed. He was acutely swift on his feet, wasting no time whatsoever in cornering Kira.

Before the young woman could make a counter move against the towering man, Kisame's hand once more found its way around the base of Kira's throat before he threw both his weight and Kira's into the wall behind them.

Kira couldn't help but gasp when her spine collided with the solid barrier in a most unfriendly way. Then the next thing she knew, Kisame had her dangling in midair by the throat with the wall as her only means of support.

Did this man mean to kill her?

...Was that his real purpose?

After a few moments, the sure feeling of suffocation hit Kira like a ton of bricks. It an attempt to fend this monstrous man off, Kira kicked out with her legs, but her efforts proved to be useless against his brute strength. If she had any chance of escaping his death grip, she was going to have to resort to her _other_ methods.

Forcing her body to remain calm, despite its undeniable screams for oxygen, Kira closed her eyes and focused on her chakra. Using what breath she could, she inhaled one deep breath through her nose into her aching lungs and held it for a second or two. During those couple of seconds, she skillfully manipulated her chakra into a new form of energy that heated her body from the inside out.

When at last, she was ready, Kira's eyes snapped open and fearlessly stared up into the shadowy face of Kisame. Then, with one more, swift gasp of air, using this time a small opening with her mouth, Kira unleashed a stream of orange flames right at Kisame's form.

The fire was mainly directed at the arm that was holding tight to Kira; and it brought great satisfaction to the woman when her flames licked at the man's robed limb, forcing him to drop his hand away from her throat while he batted away the burning inferno that was attacking his arm.

With Kisame momentarily distracted with extinguishing the fire on his sleeve before it could reach his skin, Kira scooted out of reach, made a run for the door, and dashed out of the room.

This was the second time within five minutes that she had escaped from that man's grasp. And Kira would be sure as hell lucky if she could do it a third time. But there was only one problem with that; if she did indeed get caught, she felt positive that there would be no escape next time.

Keeping the one kunai blade clutched tightly in her hand as she ran through her house, Kira made it to the front door which she found unlocked and already open, most likely from when Kisame had entered, before bolting outside into the night with only one goal in mind; to get the hell out of this situation.  
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Glaring excessively at the door where he had watched the young woman flee to, Kisame briefly swore out loud before he turned to face the left, far corner of the room that was nothing but shadows.

"She's might be more of a handful then we thought, Itachi-san." Kisame confessed though he seemed pretty at ease despite the fact that their prize just ran right out the door, literally.

Out of the blackness of the corner, Itachi Uchiha's form stepped forth; his eyes ever glowing red as he met Kisame's expecting stare. By being hidden in the corner of the room, Itachi had been able to watch and analyze the girl and her 'supposed' skills. Did she have potential? Absolutely. But she would still be no match for him; Itachi knew that with absolute certainty.

"Don't overestimate the girl, Kisame…" Itachi replied as his gaze flickered over to the open bedroom door; staring at it calmly as if nothing had happened.

Kisame took that moment to grumble to himself about being 'cut' and 'almost-burned' in one night by a girl, younger than him no less. He finished his little rant with something along the lines of 'I'll get her back for those little stunts…'

Hearing his partner's words, Itachi started for the door, "Then let's go." He stated. "I think we've given her a fair enough heads-start." He pointed out.

Kisame grinned before he followed in step alongside the dark haired Uchiha; in a less than a minute both men found themselves stepping outside the small house; their eyes skillfully scanning the grounds for any sign of the girl. Kisame couldn't help but nod his head approvingly when he found no visible trace of her in sight.

"Not bad, girlie." He murmured out loud, almost like he was actually paying the woman a compliment in person.

"She's headed south…." Itachi informed in a low tone; stating the fact like it was the most obvious thing in the world as turned his body to face the new direction. "…but she won't get far." He added.

Kisame mimicked his partner's action before snickering out loud. "So the girl was heading into the woods? How predictable…." He thought to himself. "Still…." He added, putting his thoughts into words,

"I've always loved a good chase."

The two S-Class missing Ninja shared a quick glance with one another before they set off in fast pursuit of the girl. She may have gotten lucky the first couple times by surprising Kisame with some tiny distractions , but when they finally catch up with her once more, she wasn't getting away.  
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<p>

Leaves and twigs crunched beneath Kira's bare feet as she weaved closely to the trees of the woods. Despite the chill of the night air, the young woman was without cold for her blood was running hot with adrenaline.

Being acutely aware of her surroundings, Kira could sense that she was being followed. That much did not really take her by surprise. However, how fast her follower was catching up did. Even with her head start, he was still closing in.

To be more exact, "It's like he's practically breathing down my neck." Kira thought to herself with a small frown pulling down on her mouth. The man's charka presence couldn't be more than 100 yards off.

But how much longer will that last?

"...not very long..." Kira mumbled out loud to herself.

This guy was persistent; and clearly, he meant business.

"Running away is not going to stop this guy..." she added knowingly.

Then perhaps it was time to take a stand.

"Right..." Kira stated with a determined nod of her head. And she knew just where to do it.

Veering off to the left while still keeping the trees as a cover, Kira quickened her pace and headed South East. After a few minutes or so of nonstop running, when the certain sound of rushing water reached her ears, she smiled triumphantly,

"Just a bit further!" she declared as she spotted a glowing light up ahead. With a great leap, Kira broke out of the line of trees and landed gracefully on the bank of a fast moving river. Stepping forward, she walked out towards the water; stopping before her feet could touch the river but still be close enough so that the wet sand encased her bare feet.

Then she turned about to face the towering line of trees; watching carefully for any sign of life. But the only movement around was the soft swaying of the forest as the wind stirred around it.

How deceitful. The scene actually looked somewhat peaceful; with the clear night sky and the reflection of the bright moon shinning off the top of the flowing water.

Glancing around, Kira couldn't help but softly shake her head in wonder, "This stillness couldn't be any more false..."

And she was right. Not even the beauty of nature could mask the danger she could feel approaching. So just, where was it now?

Kira first turned her head to the left, then to the right.

"Nothing..." she noted out loud to herself; that she could see with her eyes at least. Her senses were telling her something completely different.

He was here, there was no doubt about it.

Eyes narrowing with anger, Kira shifted slightly on her feet, widening her stance into one meant for combat while she brought both her hands up from her sides and placed them accordingly to the rest of her body which now stood ready for a fight.

"Alright..." she fiercely called out as her lavender eyes skimmed her surroundings, "...feel free to come out anytime soon..."

From somewhere within the trees, Kira picked up the distinctive sound of male laughter; it was a low rumbling sound that came from the back of the throat. And it sent chills down her spine.

Straightening up to her full height, she frowned before she briefly twirled the kunai blade that she still had, clutched in her hand.

"Suit yourself." she answered before she drew back her arm and flung the blade at tremendous speed in the direction where she had heard the laughter.

Things fell silent after that.

For a moment at least.

Then, from the shadows of the trees before Kira, the large man named Kisame slowly stepped out into the clearing. His blue face was grinning in merriment, while his golden eyes shone bright with amusement.

"What's this?" he replied as he raised his own arm up from his side; hanging off one of his slim and long fingers was Kira's kunai blade that he now effortlessly spun about on his appendage. "You wanna fight, eh?" he asked as he took a few more steps closer.

Kira tensed up.

Did she want to fight? Not exactly; that just wasn't her thing. However, she'll do what she must to stand against this man and whatever his reason for targeting her was.

Kira took a step back on the bank, this time letting the shallow water edge touch her feet; its coolness brought her comfort, and it gave her strength.

"Well why not?" she boldly answered, "...I'm wide awake now, so might as well have at it."

Kisame threw his blue head back and barked a loud laugh. When he brought his attention back onto Kira's he flashed her a sharp-toothed grin before he reached up to grasp the hilt of his monstrous sword.

"You sure are a funny one..." he stated with a quick chuckle, "...got lots of spirit too." he added, "...We'll have to break you of that."

"Not a chance!" Kira snapped back. Then without a moment's hesitation, she focused her chakra, and moved her arms up into a unique form; one that even Kisame wasn't familiar with.

And as he watched the way her arms moved as she swayed them around her body, his own eyes widened at what he saw.

"So this is what Leader-Sama meant..." he noted to himself as he watched with fascination as water from the river behind the girl, came up and circled around her form.

"She moves...and so does the element...how interesting..." his head added seconds later.

Keeping her eyes locked on Kisame's form while she continued on bending the water around her to do her bidding, Kira took in a deep breath, focused on the form of the water before she raised her hands and gestured at the blue man before her.

Like a dog obeys the order of its master, some of the water that she had drawn about her, shot itself right at Kisame's form. And as it drew nearer to the blue man, it changed its state from water to ice and took the form of long, sharp needles.

Kisame watched with soft surprise as he eyed hundreds of ice needles coming at him from all angels. He responded by firmly grasping the hilt of his sword before he started to bring it down across his front so that he could use it as a blockade.

However before his move and Kira's attack could meet, a jet stream of fire came out of nowhere and intercepted the two.

Kira gasped in shock as she saw the oranges flames overpower her ice attack.

"Wha...?" she asked herself as she eyed the raging inferno before her.

Where on earth had that come from? She had been watching Kisame intently, and she didn't see him make an kind of move that would've brought fire into the picture. Not to mention the stream of flames came from a completely different direction.

And that could only mean one thing.

Kisame wasn't alone.

When at last the stream of fire died out, Kira, who had been so stiff to look anywhere else but in front, slowly turned her head in the direction where she had seen the flames come from and was surprised to find that they're starting location was not very far from where she stood now.

Turning her head slightly over her left shoulder, Kira willed herself to search out Kisame's partner. But when her eyes finally came to a rest, she found herself struck numb with fear at what they found.

"Oh..." she breathed out as her lavender eyes widened in absolute horror, "...my...God!"

No more than ten feet away was indeed a second man; he was dressed in similar attire like his comrade though he stood shorter than Kisame's own build. He had a head full of dark grey-black hair that he had tied back into a ponytail and half his face was hidden by the high collar of his cloak. However, those details were only minor things to take note on.

His eyes were what was important here.

They were the color of fresh blood, framed with long dark lashes that no doubt matched his hair, and they stared unblinkingly back at Kira. And with the eye contact came the full awareness of his chakra presence too.

Just like before...

So Kira hadn't been imaging things in the woods earlier on that night; she had seen someone. And that someone was him.

The ferocity of his chakra, the sure power that was just emanating off his cloaked form was enough to force Kira's own body into trembling with fear. And she found herself losing all focus on her own defense because of it.

"Come on..." Her head screamed at her, "...get a grip and move!"

But she couldn't. Her body was paralyzed on the spot just by him watching her.

"...move..." she whispered to herself out loud, beseeching her limbs to do at least something. "...Move..." she repeated more firmly while she closed her eyes to refocus her thoughts on the situation at hand, "MOVE!" she ordered as her eyes snapped back open to stare back over at the red-eyed man.

At last she had regained control over her body; though she still carried the fear for this man with her, she was not going to let it reign. Pushing as much of it back as she could, Kira willed her arms to start moving once again in an attempt to conjure up another attack to send at her new opponent.

But midway through her movements, the man himself moved.

In the blink of an eye, he closed off the distance between him and Kira and quickly caught the young woman by her neck.

"So fast!" her head screamed in response.

Because of this, she lost her control over the water and it fell uselessly back down to the ground, splashing at their feet.

Kira gasped and cringed when the man then applied some heavy pressure around her throat and hoisted her up till she was standing only on the tips of her toes with him himself being only inches away from her face. Naturally, she then brought her hands up to try and pry his grip off her neck; but her efforts proved to be fruitless and instead, the red-eyed man tightened his hold on her painfully.

She couldn't help but close her eyes at that while biting down on her full lower lip to try and not cry out in front of this man.

"Look at me..." the man suddenly spoke; his voice was low, and surprisingly rich sounding.

Kira could only whimper as she kept her eyes closed shut.

"I said..." the man repeated as he used his strength to actually lift Kira off the ground by her neck, "...Look at me." his voice seemed darker now; his tone filled with a silent warning.

Slowly, Kira let her eyes sweep open till she was once again trapped staring directly into those blood red orbs.

The man's eyes then widened slightly before, to Kira's shock and terror, the center of them started to spin.

Kira watched for no more than 5 seconds before her eyes swept back down and she fell into complete darkness...


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter: 5

The first thing Kira became aware of was her breathing. It was like her body had gone completely numb, unresponsive as fought its way out of the shrouding darkness that had imprisoned her. And then, the darkness receded, and everything came rushing to Kira at once as she was thrown back into a world of light.

She bolted upright into a sitting position, instantly regretting the decision when her forehead banged unforgivably against something hard, cold and metal. Sharp stabs of pain racked her brain at the impact; and instinctively, her hands made the move to reach up to throbbing spot.

Only, her hands couldn't move. It was then that Kira looked down on herself and found that both her hands had been bound tightly behind her back.

The burgundy haired woman closed her eyes, her head bowing softly.

"I have to be dreaming..." she quietly stated. But something felt very wrong and Kira knew that this was real.

Upon opening her eyes again and lifting her head, Kira found herself staring up at a heavily cloaked figure who had just risen to his feet beside her. Her lavender eyes squinted softly, then next thing she new, Kira found herself looking into those strange, frightening red eyes that had haunted her mind ever since she had first saw them just the other night.

Though Kira found herself hating those eyes with each passing second, she was unable to look away from his gaze; they were mesmerizing in a most terrifying way that seemed like they were able to see straight through her.

A malicious sounding laughter reached Kira's ears and her attention was thankfully diverted to the other cloaked form who was with the red eyed man, standing just off to the side. It was the shark-man known as Kisame and he seemed to be laughing at something that he found funny.

The man with red eyes tilted his dark head ever so slightly back towards him, and his blue friend ceased his laughter though he kept on grinning.

Kira dropped her gaze to her lap, a frown pulling down on her mouth. There was nothing amusing about her current situation.

"And just what exactly did I hit my head on?" she found herself asking irritably inside her mind. Of course, finding the answer to that was the least of her concern.

What was, was the man with those eerie red eyes fixing themselves upon her, trying to weigh her down and his fishy companion.

Kira drew a deep, slow breath in through her nose, "Alright..." she suddenly spoke out, her tone point blank about who she was now addressing, "You have my attention." Her words were steady and bold, "Now..." Kira paused for a second to lift her head and raise her cool lavender eyes up to the red eyed man. "What do you want with me?"

"Well, she likes to get right to the point." remarked Kisame in a gruff voice.

Kira flicked her gaze over to the larger blue man, "That's not the answer to my question." she pointed out.

"And just what answer were you looking for, huh?" he replied giving a shrug of his broad shoulders, "That we were sent to kill you?"

Kira frowned again, shifting softly just enough for her to cautiously rise to her feet without the help of her hands to get her off the ground. "If that was the actual truth." she threw back, "But we all know that _that_ isn't the case here now is it?"

"Ehhh? Don't you think you may be being a little over presumptuous?" Kisame replied as he crossed his arms over his wide chest.

"No." she answered rather bluntly, "If killing me was your purpose, you would've done so back in my bedroom. But you didn't." Kira carried on fearlessly, "Therefore there's another reason why I was taken from my home in such a boorish manner. So what is it?" she demanded firmly.

Kisame blinked in silence before he turned in the direction of where his dark haired, red eyed partner stood, silently watching the young woman before them, "Great...we've picked up a spunky one, Itachi-san...can I hurt her?"

Kira's brows rose at the last part of Kisame's statement; her hands twisting against her bonds automatically at the thought of a getting into another fight.

"No." The man named Itachi replied rather curtly.

Itachi took step closer, despite already being close enough to be called intimidating. Now standing with just barely a feet in between their bodies, Kira had to now strain her neck to look up into Itachi's face which was surprisingly very attractive.

"You know what I expect of you?" he asked coldly, a soft almost whispering which chilled her down to her core.

Kira swallowed softly, her mouth suddenly going dry. "Yes. Clearly you want to use me...for something." she answered, taking a small step back, "In exchange for..." her voice carried off; unable to finish the response because in truth, she didn't know. "For what exactly?" she asked back, her brows furrowing gently.

Itachi's glowing red eyes narrowed ominously and if looks could kill...

Something in the look he gave her answered Kira's question on its own.

"In exchange for letting me live?" she finished; her tone sounding more like it was a guess.

"It exchange for your life." he confirmed expressionlessly.

Tension built in the air as a silence passed between those two.

Lavender eyes narrowed ever so slightly as they stared directly into harsh red eyes, "That doesn't seem like a very fair exchange..." Kira pointed out, her voice cool as ice.

"Well fair or not..." Kisame voiced in as he turned and began walking towards a line of trees, "...that's how it is. So deal with it."

Kira pulled her gaze away from Itachi, her head now following Kisame's movements as he carried on walking farther away. "And what, just for argument's sake, should happen...if I refuse to comply?"

Before the burgundy haired woman could blink, a powerful force slammed into her side, knocking her right to the ground. Falling flat upon her stomach, Kira softly cried out at the rough impact before taking notice of the heavy weight that was now pressing into her back, keeping her pinned face down.

Keeping his knee directly on top of her spine, right below her shoulder blades, Itachi leaned over the fallen woman slightly only to grasp a handful of her wine-red locks before he roughly tugged her head upwards, forcing her to stare at the sky.

"You _will_ comply..." Itachi spoke, his mouth practically right by Kira's ear. Though his breath felt hot against her skin, it sent an icy shudder throughout her entire body. "Otherwise, by my own hand, you will suffer a fate far worse than death."

Though Kira found herself struck momentarily with fear at his words, it was easily overcome by a burning fury that had ignited somewhere deep within her and it now threatened to grow.

Carried by her anger, the young woman gritted her teeth, "Is that a promise?" she daringly threw back.

Surprisingly, Itachi's hand, the one that gripped her by the hair, unwound itself from Kira's burgundy tresses as he lifted his knee off her back and slowly rose to his feet once again stepping back a couple feet, freeing her from his pinning weight.

Kira released a sigh, not even realizing that she had practically been holding her breath the whole time Itachi had been touching her.

"Get up."

It was a direct order, one that finally drove Kira to a boiling point.

Taking deep, controlled breaths, the young woman closed her eyes for but only a moment; taking the oxygen that was flowing throughout her body and mixing it with her chakra before focusing her energy on the spot where rope had lashed her wrists together behind her back.

Using her growing rage for this man as fuel, her body temperature rose to considerable heights, her hands glowing red before a sizzling, crackling sound of searing rope could be heard.

Then, with a sharp twist of her hands, the binding rope snapped away and Kira's hands were freed.

Her movements were slow, deliberate as her hands came to her front, palms flat down on the cool earth only to push up and away, lifting Kira off the ground as she tucked her knees in beneath her only to then rock back onto her heels and carefully finish rising to her feet.

He was watching her, she knew this. She could feel his eyes burning a hole into her back as she kept her back facing him.

Bringing her hands back up from her side, Kira reach up and began carelessly plucking the pins that she had left in her hair the night before which kept her long hair pinned up at her neck, out.

"I know what you're trying to do..." Kira spoke out, her voice cool and calm though she felt the exact opposite inside as she continued pulling each little pin out of its holding. "...and it won't work."

A shadow moved into her peripherals and Kira quickly found herself staring blankly ahead as the dark Shinobi circled her form; he was so close, the sleeve of his black, red-clouded cloak brushed her bare arm.

"Which is?" he returned softly, purposefully; his voice was a deep, slow velvety caress to the senses and it made Kira's skin crawl, reminding her that this man was dangerous.

"Strike fear into my heart, have me cower before you...and do whatever it is you command." Kira answered knowingly.

The last pin was pulled, and a dark, sleek curtain of burgundy tumbled down a feminine back, stopping just above the curve of a round bottom.

Itachi stopped his circling, coming to a rest right in front of Kira. "You do not fear me?" he asked.

Kira met his blood-red gaze for a moment before her lavender eyes fell to the ground at her feet, her dark lashes sweeping gently across her cheekbones, "I do not fear death..." she corrected. "And if that is all you have to hold above my head then I'm afraid you hold nothing at all." she finished bringing her gaze back up fearlessly.

Itachi's eyes closed, a cruel smirk pulling slightly at his lips, "You don't seem to understand the situation that you are in..." he stated.

"I understand perfectly...you, however, I'm not so sure about..." Kira replied sharply.

Before Kira could blink, Itachi closed the gap between them, his hands closing around both her wrists painfully as he tugged her close, his two lava eyes bearing down upon her with a heated scorn.

"You would rather die, is that it?" Itachi inquired; his eyes narrowing ominously. "Because I'm slowly losing my patience with you."

Kira's eyes narrowed too as she glared equally as harsh back at him, "Oh I'm sorry...what were you expecting here? Complete cooperation?" she threw back, "Maybe even subordination?"

A deadly frown pulled down on Itachi's mouth while a sinister gleam came to his red eyes, "You're playing with fire, girl." he warningly informed; his grip on her wrists tightening even more to the point where there would be severe bruising around the bones, if they weren't already crushed.

Kira's chin lifted defiantly, her shoulders drawing themselves back with certainty.

"I am fire!" she replied venomously, her cool composure finally forgotten, "...and I am also ice. I am whatever people need me to be and I will not be commanded by you men. I am owned by no one." Kira pointed out with a gentle shake of her head as she courageously carried on,

"You may have power and you may have strength, but I have those things too and I will not break...nor will I ever allow myself to even bend for man like you!"

This girl had spirit, he had to give her that...

Tugging sharply on her wrists once more, Kira collided into Itachi's broad chest, "You have _no idea what kind of man I am_..." he informed, his eyes fixed upon the little spitfire he had in his hold while his Sharingan hummed with life, its center starting to spin with his obvious displeasure, "...and I _will_ make you regret those words."

Next thing Kira knew, she was falling right into the man's arms, the image of his face briefly flashing across her eyes before Kira was pulled into darkness.


End file.
